Why Your Previous Treatments Have Not Fixed It.
When I first graduated as a podiatrist, I wanted to make a real difference in helping people, to relieve their foot pain. I was so determined and passionate, as I had seen firsthand a family member suffering with long term debilitating foot pain.
My university degree gave me a great understanding of how complex the feet are and just how much the feet impact the rest of the body.
However when I first started practicing podiatry, I would see cases that should have got better and didn’t. I started to explore why this was and what I could do to improve my patient’s outcomes.
I became very interested in manual therapies and combined this with my knowledge of foot function. This is what led me to further training and development in the area of foot mobilisation therapy , tool assisted release and shock wave therapy. These therapies allows me to provide foot pain relief to my patients who have tried almost everything.
The 3 Crucial Steps to Fix Foot Pain Are:
- Identifying what areas in the feet and lower limbs are overworked and overloaded and correcting these first (with foot orthotics if necessary).
- Once feet and legs are in the right position, incorporating a strength program to help the muscles in the legs and feet work better. There is no use trying to strengthen your gluts if you knee is turned in is there? Well this is no different for your feet- which is why step 1 comes first.
- Using therapies such as foot mobilisation, tool assisted massage and shock wave therapy for chronic cases to help increased joints mobility, release adhesions, reduce pain and initiate proper cellular healing and repair.
Now… not everyone will need orthotics, but if your foot functions is contributing to your foot pain this needs to be addressed FIRST to prevent further deterioration and damage within the feet.
Only when the foot is in the right position and functioning properly can the muscles be effectively strengthened in step 2.
Step 3 is vital as foot pain will often cause compensations in the body and in our walking patterns. Your orthotics will correct this, however they will not fix all of the soft tissue and joint restrictions that have formed within the feet prior to this. This is why some people who wear orthotics will still experience levels of foot pain.
The foot needs to be mobilised to remove these restrictions, using a range of different manual therapy treatments. These include foot mobilisation therapy, tool assisted massage and or dry needling.
In chronic stubborn cases Shock Wave Therapy has been clinically shown to reduce heel pain in 70-80% of cases.
Only when all 3 crucial steps are combined will you see significant and long-term foot pain relief.
So you may be asking what is Foot Mobilisation Therapy and how does it work to Fix Foot Pain?
Foot mobilisation releases restrictions in the feet and lower limbs. It allows the connective tissue to heal and repair to a more healthy functioning state, increasing mobility.
The ultimate goal of Foot Mobilisation Therapy is to correct these underlying joint and structural alignments, maintain mobility and improve strength, balance and foot posture.
What are the benefits of Foot Mobilisation Therapy to Fix Foot Pain?
- Frees up any joint stiffness, aiding the body in creating physiological changes to postural alignment.
- Restores neurological function of joint proprioceptors (balance).
- Increases the release of joint fluid/ lubrication between the joints.
- Stimulates the body’s ability to repair and restore itself.
- Strengthening, stretching and proprioception exercises ensure that changes made during the sessions are long lasting.
Who would benefit from Foot Mobilisation Therapy?
Anyone who is suffering foot pain and or stiffness.
This may include, but is not limited to;
- Arch Pain
- Ankle Sprains, pains and chronic Instability
- Achilles problems and calf pain
- Shin Splints
- Big toe joint pain and stiffness
- Bunions
- Foot cramps
- Hammer and clawed toes
- Heel Pain
- Plantar Fasciitis (Heel Spurs)
- Pain in balls of feet
- Morton’s Neuroma
- Patella and knee complaints
I hope this has helped on your search for answers to your foot pain. If you are wanting to come in and see us, please click on the “book online” button or call us on (03) 9603 0334, we love a chat!
